Got to stay away from power lines

[SeanKroll]

An aquainteance has a silver maple under primaries, and is a risk- lover.
He encourages the kids to play in the trees despite being inches from the positive, having been line-cleared for years.

His kid got mad at me yesterday, saying it's safe and she trust her dad, when i said it wasn't safe.

Thoughts and educational links about power lines?

 

[cory]

Darwin

 

[treesmith]

I’d never let my kids (or grandkids, now that the kids are grown), play in a tree with foliage touching power lines.

In 1989, we were sent on “storm damage” in Pearl, MS after an ice storm. All the crews had been dispatched to work on clearing downed lines, and we were sent to do some routine trimming. The line we were on ran down a fence row where the trees had been topped/retopped over and over. Our lines here are like 7.2KV...theirs were in the 2KV range. I lost count of how many times I got buzzed in those trees when the wind would blow a limb into the line. I felt it through my hooks and hands.

Trimming a whippy yard pine not far from here that same year, I’d climbed and cut all I could, then had a pruner sent up to clip the rest. I clipped a particularly contrary “limb” that chose to torpedo down my shirt collar, then brush the primary as it fell. I figure Michael Jackson would have been proud of me for about two seconds...

 

[treesmith]

 

[ruel]

That's a tough one. If the electric company's messaging hasn't got through to someone, I'm not sure how much you can do to reach them.

 

[Tree09]

Show them the same stuff that they show in the osha 30 class: the slow painful progression of how it takes to die from an electrical injury. At first a small entrance and exit point. After a few days, entire limbs cut open to debride the necrotic tissue, which is a pointless exercise for most because they die anyways. Explain how back in the day 1 in 3 linemen would die on the job. Failing that call child protective services.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I wish I got a picture of that PG&E bill board with pictures of little fruit trees in an orchard under high tension distribution lines.
Caption was like, "please social distance the trees from the lines" or something like that.

 

[TINYHULK]

Sorry for bumping an old thread but I gotta ask, Kyle what osha classes are you referring to that teach about power lines and clearance? I didn’t know there was such a thing and I would love to find out where I can gain such knowledge @Tree09

 

[Mellow]

This is the one I did:

Electrical Hazard Training Certification - Training and Workshops for Arborists | ACRT Arborist Training

 

[TINYHULK]

Those would be fantastic but things like that are never in my area. I’m in south east Virginia

 

[Tree09]

Both the osha 10 and 30 cover electrical hazards in depth. But neither will train to work safely with it. By clearance you mean approach distance? It covers that, not tree work, which is covered in the one Mellow posted. You may have to travel to do one. The osha classes are required on most big construction jobs anymore, so i did mine thru my union hall forever ago. Went back years later to do the osha 30, which was starting to be required at the time. They were making the 1st year pups do the 30, which i was against since after they go thru that it's like pulling teeth to get them to do anything other than hide in the break trailer since they think death is imminent

 

[treebilly]

@TINYHULK give me a day or two and I’ll do some digging around. I think I have 3 or 4 copies of the TCIA EHAP book. If I find them I’ll send you one. Reminds me that I’m due for a refresh course. I’ll also ask at the office where you check for the classes. I know every year they put a few free ones on for the EHAP. To complete it you have to have CPR/First aid and Aerial Rescue to get your certificate of completion.

 

[TINYHULK]

Thanks! That would be amazing. Aerial rescue is another class I need to find. I would like to get another “climber to be” in the company so I can take them with me

 

[treebilly]

I’ll look tomorrow morning. I might have a spare aerial rescue book as well

 

[Altissimus]

@TINYHULK give me a day or two and I’ll do some digging around. I think I have 3 or 4 copies of the TCIA EHAP book. If I find them I’ll send you one. Reminds me that I’m due for a refresh course. I’ll also ask at the office where you check for the classes. I know every year they put a few free ones on for the EHAP. To complete it you have to have CPR/First aid and Aerial Rescue to get your certificate of completion.

Treehouse Rocks

 

[Altissimus]

I’ll look tomorrow morning. I might have a spare aerial rescue book as well

Treehouse Rocks

 

[TINYHULK]

Thanks so much! I’m at the point in my career where I can start gaining these credentials and that would help out a lot!